Published Articles
Carly Newberg has written for an assortment of well-known publications such as Insider, Dame, and Well & Good. Carly also features her work in publications on Medium, an online writing platform. Focusing primarily on first-person essays and evidence-based articles, Carly enjoys themes such as health and wellbeing, life lessons, self-empowerment, and more.
I Was a Nude Still Life Model and This is What the Experience Taught Me
A little over a week ago, I was a still-life model for a small group of artists in my city. I couldn’t resist writing about just how healing, empowering, and enlightening the experience was. I didn’t know we had a still life class in town but was approached by one of the artists, who also is the owner of the old elementary school it took place at. Through much hard work and community support, this charming school has been transformed into an art, music, and recreation hub that offers various shows, classes, and events throughout the year. Inside the building is a hostel, a couple of permanent residences, a publishing library, and a large theatre. It’s — in my opinion — one of the coolest spaces in Baker City, Oregon, which made agreeing to be a still-life model there easy.
I brought my late friend's ashes with me on a recent trip. I plan to spread his ashes in every beautiful place I find.
2020 was a tough year for many reasons. The main one for me was that I lost my close friend Kyle to suicide. Unexpected deaths leave little room for goodbyes, and I was devastated we never had one. Instead, there was an unread email in my inbox from him I didn't get to soon enough. Kyle was only 28 years old when he took his own life, and I've spent a lot of time wondering what the outcome would have been had I seen the email sooner and replied. What would I have said, and would it have made a difference?
I’ve Learned To Dig Up My Roots And Love Myself Better After Six Years Of Being A Yogi
It was the middle of winter and I was feeling eager to try something new. Since returning home from studying abroad and traveling in Australia only a few weeks earlier, nothing scared me. I had taken my eating disorder by the horns and wasn't about to let fear keep controlling me. I had chosen recovery before my trip, several times on the trip, and I was choosing it loudly and proudly once again. Part of my eating disorder involved an addiction to exercise as a way to purge food and feel better about what I ate. I was terrified of my body changing and had an insatiable hunger from years of restricting, dieting, and obsessing. Running is the form of exercise that made me feel most in control of the many spiraling thoughts in my head; running made me feel safe, powerful, and whole. Without it, I didn’t know who I was.
I Had to Choose My Family Because the Family I Was Given Failed to Love Me without Conditions
Blood is not always thicker than water. That is a hard truth I’ve come to accept after years of disappointment from my father. It was once I surrounded myself with a loving and supportive community that I realized just how toxic our relationship was and still is. My father was granted full custody of me when I was eight years old and since then, has struggled to be the parent I need him to be. When I moved out at 16 years old, and after enduring years of neglect and emotional abuse, he told me he couldn’t ever forgive me. Somehow, I, nothing more than a teen wanting to be seen by her dad, was guilty for removing myself from a bad home environment. Yes, I had clothes on my body. Yes, I had a roof over my head. But unconditional love? I just didn’t feel it from my father.
Purity Culture Shackled Me in Shame but I’m Finally Free
We kneeled at the altar on Sundays, asking God to take away our desire and make us pure. We confided in each other when we lost self-control and worried we’d never be able to tame ourselves from feeling how we did. To feel how we did was to be human, but religious doctrine and the church soon convinced us our humanity simply wasn’t enough. Shame is like being shackled underwater and unable to breathe; it’s being frightened, regretful, and unstable; it’s greater than guilt. Guilt is, I did something bad and shame is, I am bad. Shame will eat you to your core if you let it, keep you underwater, and overtake every good feeling and emotion. Shame is powerful and painful.
Birth Control Never Worked for Me, So I Said Goodbye and Adopted the Fertility Awareness Method
A year and a half ago, I got off birth control once and for all. I was tired from the various side effects interrupting my day and causing abnormal problems. Yet, whenever I’d try to talk to a doctor about these problems, they’d cling to the idea I just hadn’t tried the right birth control. After listing the birth control methods I had tried, and why they didn’t work, they were still persistent in pushing the few I hadn’t… like the Depo-Proverashot, the NuvaRing, and different pills. Why can’t some doctors just accept the idea of someone being in their twenties and not wanting to pump their body full of artificial hormones?
My best friend and I kept our bisexuality a secret for years because our church wouldn't accept us. We prayed to be straight every week.
My best friend and I regularly get asked: "Wait, how did you two meet?" Our response surprises most people. "We met in church." In 2018, I was riding what some might call a spiritual high when I became a group leader for about 15 people in Portland, Oregon. We met weekly to eat dinner and discuss various church practices. My best friend, Tiff, was part of the group and only lived a few blocks away. We hit it off instantly. Eventually, we told each other our deepest secret: We're both attracted to women.
I Tried Floating in a Sensory Deprivation Tank To Ease My Anxiety—Here’s What Happened
It's dark in here, and all I can hear is my breath. I’m floating in a sensory deprivation tank, which is basically like a bathtub in a silent, lightless room. I close my eyes and take small sips of air, filling my belly consciously before slowly releasing. Thoughts are racing about what I "should" or "could" be doing. I can’t stop them from arising, but I do my best to let them pass like clouds in the sky. You are here now, I tell myself.
Useful Pointers for Making Friends as an Adult
My mom loves to set me up on friend dates. It seems every time I see her, she’s got a new gal pal she’s confident I’ll get along great with. “Okay, Mom,” I used to roll my eyes and say. That is until she manifested one of my closest friendships into existence. For over a year, she told my friend, Kate, and me that we would be best friends, yet each time, both of us dismissed her excitement. Then, Kate and I met through mutual friends and at last, knew what my mom meant.
Best Practices for Cleaning Your Sex Toys
There she was...pink and perfect, hiding yet visible enough to catch my eye. I didn't want to be cleaning my grandma's Airbnb that day, but some extra money never hurts. Little did I know, I'd walk out with a new toy in my purse too. I felt like a kid leaving the candy store. Who are you and what is your name? I wondered. I found out later, the toy I captured—with paper towels and a zip lock bag, mind you—was Dame’s one and only, Pom.
I Neglected My Body When I Was Younger—Now I’m Paying The Consequences
My left knee is so inflamed it hurts to walk. The pain has now wrapped around my leg, up my thigh, and down to my ankle. It feels no better sitting than standing, and ice only gives me relief for a minute or two. It’s been a while since this has happened, but I should have known it was coming. I started easing my way back into running last month. A couple of miles here, a couple of miles there. And most of the time, my runs are more like a run-walk because I value intuitive movement and don’t like forcing myself to do things that feel terrible anymore. But man, spring arrived and I couldn’t help but put on my running shoes and get outside. Working from home has made me value movement even more. Getting up from my desk and doing something — anything — is important for my mental health.